“The more throws I watched, the more his arm strength limitations were evident,” Jaworski said of Flynn. “The fade, as you see here, is not an arm-strength throw. It’s more of a touch throw. In fact, I was concerned that his few deep balls lost energy at the back end. They had a tendency to die.”

Of course, Flynn’s arm strength is hardly a new issue. This time last year, Jaws had ranked Flynn as the 27th best starting quarterback in the league — this was a time before Russell Wilson. Said Jaws:

“Flynn also showed the ability to get out of the pocket and throw on the run. But the more throws I watched, the more his arm strength limitations were evident. The fade is not an arm-strength throw. It’s more of a touch throw. In fact, I was concerned that his few deep balls lost energy at the back end. They had a tendency to die.”

Whoa. Talk about déjà vu. As in 2013, the Jaws of yesteryear invoked the big sleep when describing Flynn’s deep ball, while making some less than profound comments about fade routes. The hyperbole aside, Jaworski’s comments are anything but surprising. Which is to say, Flynn’s arm strength issues have been well-documented.

To continually point out arm strength as a major deterrent to Flynn’s success is silly and short-sighted. Arm strength is not, and never will be, the determinant of quarterback success. In the words of Bill Walsh, “Arm strength is somewhat misleading. Some players can throw 80 yards, but they aren’t good passers. Good passing has to do with accuracy, timing, and throwing a ball with touch so it is catchable. This all involves understanding a system, the receivers in the system, and having great anticipation.”

It is the latter in which Flynn excels as a quarterback. Both Jaws and Cossell have said as much.

Cossell wrote: “His attributes, based on film breakdown of his two NFL starts, derive from his talent as a timing and rhythm passer who’s decisive with his reads and throws, and has shown good accuracy in the short to intermediate areas. He’s primarily a plant-and-throw quarterback who makes good decisions, and delivers the ball on time. One thing I liked was his pocket movement. He showed the ability to slide and maintain his downfield focus.

Jaws said: “I broke down both of Flynn’s starts: New England in 2010 and Detroit last season. What I saw was a timing and rhythm passer who’s decisive with his reads and his throws. He was consistently accurate in the short to intermediate areas. He displayed a nice feel in the pocket with some subtle movements, like this slight shoulder roll to manipulate the coverage.”

Ultimately, Flynn’s success will have less to do with his physical abilities and more to do with the abilities of his coaches. If coordinator Greg Olsen repeatedly asks Flynn to throw deep, Flynn’s tenure with the Raiders will be as tumultuous as it is short. However, if Olsen does as Walsh would do — which is manipulate the offense to accentuate Flynn’s strengths — then the Raiders could be at least sniffing a playoff spot in 2013.

About the Author

A resident of California, East Bay Sports Guy (otherwise known as Scott Preston) often spends his time wearing v-necks -- sometimes deep, sometimes not -- and watching teams that play sports together as a team. You can follow Scott @SportsAnxiety.

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The Raiders traded their best player, Carson Palmer, for nothing. Let that sink in for a minute ... If you asked the top 100 NFL beat writers to rank the 32 starting QB's, where do you think Flynn would end up ? 30th ? So lay off Jaworski, he's harmless.

Reggie McKenzie is doing the slash and burn for payroll relief, to get out from under Al Davis' 10 year reign of lunacy. There will be something like $75 mill in cap room a year from now, I commend Mark Davis and Reggie Mac for taking drastic measures now. The 2013 squad will be wretched.

"The Raiders could be sniffing a playoff spot" ? No, what they will be sniffing is the bottom of my Nikes after I go into my dog walk. You know, THAT smell.

While Jaws is great at breaking down plays, he blows more wind that a hurricane, hence his exit from the booth due to his need to talk and talk. Is Flynn great? No way, but the worst in the league? I don't remember Jaws complaining he was that bad when he signed with Seattle after two starts. What does he really base that off, his starts? His intuition? If its his starts, then he would be seen as way better than he is. Clearly he is an undefined entity, but I would argue that what we have seen of considerable sample size from Mark Sanchez, Kevin Kolb, and Blaine Gabbert is pretty much horse manure. We need to see more of Flynn before any assessment can be made.

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